McMINNVILLE – A Linfield College professor has revolutionized methods for teaching introductory biology to students.
Christopher Gaiser, professor of biology, will present “Teaching Introductory Biology – A Historical Approach,” on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in 201 Riley Hall at Linfield.
The lecture will address the problems with teaching a standardized syllabus to biology students. Most college-level introductory biology is usually taught as a series of topics that are related by level of organization, with evolution and ecology discussed in separate sections. For Gaiser and other professionals, there is an evolutionary and ecological relationship between these topics that their approach makes explicit.
In this new way of teaching introductory biology, major topics are covered in the historical order they occurred. Gaiser’s class begins with the formation of the Earth, then discusses how early earth chemistry led to the first biological molecules, and then progresses to how these molecules self-assembled into the first cell.
“Our approach emphasizes that evolution is not a process that just happens sometimes, or has stopped,” Gaiser said. “Rather, evolution has driven each of these steps forward – from molecules to cells to multicellular organisms – and continues to do so today.”
Gaiser earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in genetics from Oregon State University. His research focuses on plant developmental genetics.
The lecture is free and open to the public. The Linfield College faculty lecture series offers one presentation each month by a member of the Linfield faculty. For more information call 503-883-2409.
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